


Damsel Day

by FreshBrains



Category: Ever After High
Genre: Crushes, F/F, Fairy Tale Elements, First Kiss, Humor, Quests
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-16
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-04-04 15:29:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4142973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreshBrains/pseuds/FreshBrains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So, you want me to go on a quest to save the girl I’ve had a crush on for months, who happens to be your roommate and mortal enemy?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Damsel Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy! <3

Cerise narrowed her eyes and slowly chewed the last bite of her apple. Once she swallowed, she wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist and asked, “So, you want me to go on a quest to save the girl I’ve had a crush on for months, who happens to be your roommate and mortal enemy?”

Raven sighed, holding up her hands in defeat. “It’s a tradition, I guess. I’d do it if I were allowed.”

Cerise slumped in her chair in the castle-teria, her lunch suddenly unappetizing. “I’ve never heard of this before. Why does it always seem I’m out of the loop?”

Raven cleared her throat, eyes darting around the room. “Well, the older kids told us about it after Legacy Day, but I think you sort of confused them. They didn’t know if you were a Rebel yet or not.”

“So let’s walk through this again,” Cerise said, turning to face her friend. “Once a year, a Royal pretends to be in danger and a Rebel has to complete a challenge to save them. I get that. But _why_?”

Raven attempted a cheerful grin. “Team-building? Fairytale equality? Honestly, I don’t know. I just know that Apple is chilling in a log cabin in the Enchanted Forest and you’re supposed to go get her by midnight. And _I_ can’t go because I’m in her fairy tale.”

“I was supposed to go for a run with my dad tonight,” Cerise grumbled, packing up the rest of her lunch into her basket. “But if it’s tradition, I guess you can count me in.”

“Thank you, Cerise. Really,” Raven said kindly, hugging her friend. “Now let’s get you ready for Damsel Day!”

“Well now, _that’s_ an awful name.”

*

“This is so silly,” Cerise said, feeling awkward in her clunky boots and too-heavy red cloak. It was supposed to be a chilly night, so she’d gone into her wardrobe for her winter clothes, even though she didn’t like how rebellious and dark they made her look. Her trusty basket was tucked in the crook of her arm.

“Good luck,” Raven said, standing by the edge of the Enchanted Forest to see her off. Students hung around the courtyard, cheering her on and laughing with friends, eager to see the tradition unfold. “Remember, Apple loves this stuff. Find her, bring her back, and I’ll lend you my crown-culus notes.”

Cerise sighed, but she couldn’t hide a smile. “Piece of cake. After all,” she whispered, and lifted her hood a little so Raven could see the tips of her ears, “I’m not too bad at tracking people down.”

Raven grinned. “Here’s your first clue.” She unfolded a piece of pink paper. “ _Down by the water will be a girl complete with teacups and purple curls. Stop for a drink and ask for a spell, then go on your way to the Wishing Well_.”

The girls glanced at each other and laughed. “Say hi to Maddie for me,” Raven said.

*

Cerise knew the Enchanted Forest well enough to start her journey off easy. She kept to the neat dirt paths, pausing here and there to collect some wildflowers in case Apple wanted to wear a victory crown—and it was Apple, so of course she would. Tucked in her basket was one of Apple’s silky blouses, a pretty peach-colored thing that smelled sweet and strong, just like Apple herself.

Cerise told herself she was just keeping Apple’s scent in mind to track her as she buried her nose in the soft fabric. Sure, Apple was gorgeous and confident and smart, but she was _the_ poster girl for the belief in destiny, and Cerise wasn’t about to screw that up for her. Just because her own destiny was murky didn’t mean that she had to make Apple have doubts about her fate.

Right as night fell, she crossed the creek in two easy strides, humming the new Mariah Fairy song as she went to keep her mind clear. She suspected Maddie would be waiting on the green creek bed. But instead of seeing her friend, she found a note on a fallen log next to an empty biscuit pack, scribbled out in a teal pen.

_Saw a cool frog, went to make friends. My clue was to tell you that Maddie is west of Wishing Well. I actually forgot the riddle. Or was it a spell? Sorry. Love you!_

Cerise rolled her eyes and folded the note. “These boots are giving me blisters,” she growled and contemplated going into wolf form until she realized she wouldn’t be able to carry her basket.

And Apple would look really pretty in her new flower crown. It was made of roses and pink tulips—Apple’s favorite colors.

*

The Wishing Well was more of a Used-to-Be-Wishing Well—it had fallen into crumbling disrepair ever since the new fountain was built outside the dorms. Cerise spotted a few soda cans and candy wrappers around the stone base and suspected more than one Ever After High drank a little too much Party Potion out there after dark.

“Let’s see,” Cerise said, walking slowly around the well. “I already know Apple is to the west. What else do you have for me?” She leaned in and peered down into the dank water. A note was clipped to the fraying rope bucket, and she plucked it off, shaking away a stray spider. This time, the note was in Blondie’s neat, blocky handwriting. _“Basement too chilly, first floor to bright. But the second floor will be just right!”_

So Apple was waiting on the second floor of a cabin west of the Wishing Well. Cerise took another deep breath into Apple’s shirt, the crisp scent warming her entire body, and sped up to a jog to finish her journey.

_Damsel Day,_ she thought as she ran swiftly through the brush. _Silly, silly, silly._

*

“Cerise! Cerise, I’m up here! Save me!” Cerise scented Apple before she even heard her. She broke through the trees, grinning up at Apple, who was waving out from the dingy old cabin’s second-story window. It was on a plot of land near the forest border Cerise hadn’t ever been to before, but the sight of Apple’s golden curls and red dress made it feel like home.

“Apple, you were supposed to let me _find_ you,” Cerise said and blushed. “I mean, those are the rules, right?”

“But you _did_ find me, silly! Now come on up and save your damsel.” Apple disappeared from the window, giggling as she retreated into the dark room.

“Damsel my furry hide,” Cerise said, but she had to bite her lip to stop from smiling. The journey was hardly a journey at all, the clues were too easy to take seriously, and her feet were killing her, but it was sort of fun, in the end. Being a heroine. Rescuing someone in need.

Well, _pretending_ to be in need.

“I’m here to save you, my darling Apple White,” Cerise said with a flourish of sarcasm as she strode up the rickety cabin stairs. She was expecting one of Apple’s excited hugs, but she was _not_ expecting a pair of pink-glossed lips to land on hers, followed by an eager little groan deep in Apple’s throat.

“I was hoping they’d pick you,” Apple said as she pulled away, arms still wrapped around Cerise’s neck. “Red Riding Hood’s daughter saving me from the frightening forest. It’s too perfect to pass up.”

Cerise flushed as bright red as her hood. “What big surprises you have, Damsel,” she joked nervously, still in awe that she had pretty, popular Apple so close to her.

“You might not be a part of my fairy tale,” Apple said, suddenly shy. “But we’re from the same forest. I mean, not _from_ —but my mom got lost in the Dark Forest, and your mother braved it so long ago, and—“

“We can write our own chapter,” Cerise blurted, lacing her fingers through Apple’s. “Just this once. Right?”

Apple nodded, squeezing Cerise’s hands. “What’s a great tale without a few twists and turns along the way?”

Cerise knew Apple was loyal to her Legacy, but for now, she was happy to have her in any way she could.

*

They returned to Ever After High ten minutes before midnight, hand-in-hand, Apple’s hair wreathed in Cerise’s wildflower crown.

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the slang came from the Ever After High Fandom Wiki.


End file.
